October 2009 Newsletter
President’s Message
Hello People,
Greetings and salutations! How are you? How are your bees? Fall management practices in full stride? Cause now is the time to Think Spring! Amazing how the Great Wheels turn along, isn’t it? And to consider how very fortunate we are to be a part of that process, to whatever extent, truly makes for a Good Day indeed.
This month we’ll begin our indoor meetings at Bristol Aggie pm Oct. 27th. Remember, we’ll be meeting in the Library, which is on the second floor. It’s a very spacious, comfortable room and ought to work well for our meetings.
For you new beekeepers, how are you doing? Interesting year, yes? Please keep in mind 2009 was a very odd year. As I spoke with people from a fairly wide representation of agriculture, the consensus was ‘never seen a year like this for as long as I’ve been __________ (farming, keeping bees, gardening etc.). Hence the ‘Think Spring’ admonition! Have questions? The mentor list is in the newsletter; call and ask away! And of course, you can bring your question to this month’s meeting. We’ll get you an answer and you can carry on. The main thing to remember is you are not alone, help is available, and Keep the Faith!
Good for now. Best to you and yours, Greg
Help Keep Our Files Current
If you move or change any contact information, please tell us. This is especially true of e-mail addresses. A quick note will save many emails from the internet postmaster.
ITEMS FOR SALE
If anyone has anything bee related that they would like to advertise in this newsletter, please email me at weeacresii@comcast.net
CLUB MEETINGS
UNLESS OTHERWISE ANNOUNCED, ALL GENERAL MEETINGS ARE HELD ON THE 4TH TUESDAY OF THE MONTH AT THE BRISTOL COUNTY AGRICULTURAL HIGH SCHOOL AND BEGIN AT 7 PM
PLEASE WEAR YOUR NAME TAG TO THE MEETING TO HELP OUR NEWER MEMBERS LEARN WHO YOU ARE. IF YOU HAVE MISPLACED YOURS, PLEASE SEE JEANI WARISH FOR A REPLACEMENT.
If there is a topic you would like to see covered or a particular speaker you are interested in for future meetings, please contact President Greg Boyd.
BrCBA Yearly Calendar 2009 – 2010
PLEASE NOTE THAT MEETINGS WILL NOW BE HELD IN THE LIBRARY, LOCATED ON THE SECOND FLOOR
October 27th ~ Topic ~ Fred Sterner and Mary Anne McQuillan will be speaking about mead and beer making.
November 24th ~ Topic TBA
December ~ No meeting…MERRY CHRISTMAS!
January 26th ~ Topic TBA
February 23rd ~ Topic TBA
March 23rd ~ Topic TBA
April 27th ~ Topic TBA
May 25th ~ Topic TBA
A Few Thank You’s
In the recent past, quite a few people have helped carry the Club ball along in such a way that it seems appropriate to take some time to acknowledge them. First, going back to June, Joe, on very short notice, led a workshop focusing on the status of the hive. From all accounts it went well and was well worth one’s time. Thank You Joe.
Then in August, Randy Oliver visited the area. Everett and RIBA organized the Randy Oliver visit, and what a visit! Randy was in for that weekend and Everett did the hosting; some sightseeing, visiting out yards and spending some time talking queens with Ray. On Sunday we met at Skip’s farm for the first of two workshops. It was excellent. Randy started slowly, ramped up and was soon making point after point, illustration after illustration. And all with such ease. Before we knew it, noontime was here, so back to Skip’s for pie and cider. For the afternoon we ventured to a RI host for another workshop. A lot of repeat, but still new info was presented/discussed/illustrated. All in all it was an excellent return for the time invested. Thank You to Everett and the RIBA for organizing the visit. Thanks very much.
Now, in the course of relating the Randy Oliver visit, I mentioned how we met at Skip’s. Skip is the next person I want to thank for a couple of things. One is for being a gracious host for Randy’s workshop; we went to a nice out yard to discuss the hives/bees/treatments and then back to his shop for some farm-made pies and cider. What a nice gesture. Thanks Skip.
The other item is, as we were preparing for the fairs, the Club obtained some honey and some jars, good. But now to bottle. How? Who? I asked Skip if we could bottle at his Wishing Stone Farm (WSF), and being gracious once again he agreed that we could use his facilities. So my family and I ventured to WSF with bottles and honey and zipped through the task. Skip’s wife Liz was at the ready for various requests, some ideas and keeping me in line. Then, I had miscalculated the amount of honey we would need and, yes, Skip had 5 gallons available and offered it to us; the right person with the right goods at the right time. We finished and were on our way. But I’ll tell you it means a lot for Wishing Stone Farm and Skip and Liz to be so helpful and timely helping us prepare for the fairs. So for both hosting Randy and allowing us to use your bottling facilities, (man talk about helping out above and beyond), Thank You Skip and Liz. Thank you very much.
Fairs, yes we were at some fairs, in between the rain showers! And for the most part they worked out well. Bill and Margaret organized the staffing of the Rehoboth and Rochester fairs. The one fair that didn’t work out was the Tractor Show in Rehoboth in early October. It was a combination of a very rainy Saturday (can you believe it?!), the end of the season and people getting tired. But Rehoboth and Rochester went well. Also, Thank You to those people who helped staff our booth at the fairs. Without you it would have been a ‘disappearing bee club’ booth, which would not be good. So, thank you people for taking the time to help. And, of course, Thank You Bill and Margaret for pulling the fairs together.
Speaking about the fairs, one of the key items for a successful booth is an observation hive. Well our main people for this were Jeani and Mike. Mike provided the hive and Jeani provided the bees. It worked so well; the o-hive is a 3-frame model and Jeani packed it with bees. It was great. Thank you both. That’s a make-or-break item. Thanks for ‘making’ it happen!
And, speaking of Jeani, well, it was her idea to have the September meeting on a Sunday, outdoors. Again from all accounts it worked very well. Everett and Joe were there to open hives and field questions. The opportunity to ‘talk bees’ was not wasted. And the potluck, well, have you ever heard of a potluck that didn’t work?! Thanks again Jeani. Great idea.
Those are the people and events I’ve wanted to mention. Now please, I’m not trying to get all gooshy about this. It’s just when people help the Club with its mission, I think that is a bright spot and deserves acknowledgement. So again, Thank You ‘Helper People,’
Beekeeper’s Calendar for October
- Continue checking hives for diseases. If found, treat immediately, PER INSTRUCTIONS ON BOX.
- NEVER TREAT A HIVE WHEN IT HAS HONEY SUPERS. ALWAYS REMOVE HONEY SUPERS FIRST, AND THEN TREAT.
- Expose the hives to sun and protect from wind. Tip the hive forward to allow any moisture to drain.
- Check stored equipment/wax for wax moth. If evidence of wax moth is found, exposing the frames to air and sunshine will eradicate the problem. Also, the cold temperatures will kill the larva.
- Store empty supers and hive bodies, which have drawn comb, with Para dichlorobenzene (moth balls without naptha-remember No Naptha). The Para repels the wax moths. Also, make sure the equipment is mice proof.
- Check honey stores in brood and honey chambers. If the hive is light (Lift/ back side of hive. 80# for 2 deeps or 3 mediums are good weights), you’ll need to feed with sugar/water mixture. BUT feed after fall flowers have passed. Otherwise the bees will not take the syrup down. There will be some late-season harvesting by the bees; thistle, asters, golden rod are coming in. So after the late season flowers have passed, add the feed.
- Make sure there is enough ventilation to allow excess moisture to exit the hive. Also, make sure the cover keeps out any rain or snow. Moisture causes more harm than cold does; it causes hypothermia of the bees, and they will die.
- Install ½”x ½” hardware cloth mouse guards.
- Consider investigating using formic acid
Beekeeper’s Calendar for November
- Make sure all medications are removed per the time requirements stated on the package. Leaving them in too long allows the target pests to build immunity.
- Install insulation board on top of inner cover. Homosite is the recommended material. This will absorb water vapor, and the bees can retrieve this moisture as they need to.
- Make sure there is a 2-3 pound weight on top of each hive. This will keep the cover on in case of blustery winter winds.
- Make sure there is enough ventilation to allow excess moisture to exit the hive. Also, make sure the cover keeps out any rain or snow. Moisture causes more harm than cold does; it causes hypothermia in the bees, and they will die.
MINUTES TO GENERAL MEETING
SEPTEMBER 20, 2009
Meeting was held at Jeani Warish’s house, and began at 12:00 PM with the opening of Jeani’s 3 hives, led by Everett Zurlinden. After thoroughly examining the hives, everyone gathered on the deck at 2:00 PM to discuss club business. There was no treasurer’s report. Fred is busy revamping the club website. The “bee school” link will go to Everett; we need a link for people who wish to ask questions to BeeSource. We also discussed looking into starting a Yahoo group.
A motion was made to pay the entire insurance bill as opposed to installmaents. Motion was seconded and passed.
A student at RISDE needs a beeyard for a project.
The EAS convention is being held At URI in August 2011. RIBA is going to need LOTS of volunteers! We need a treasurer’s report before we can decide the size of our donation to RIBA. There’s a man on Cuttyhunk surveying for bees; Fred left a note on his car in hopes he would contact him.
The idea of combining the general meetings and bee school was mentioned.
The classes at the Rotch – Duff House were explained by Joe Tardiff.
Meeting ended at 2:30 PM; a delicious pot luck lunch followed!
Mentors
Mentors are experienced beekeepers that afre willing to help beginners and old hands with problems. To find one near you, contact Mentors. Email your location and problem along with your contact information.
“A good deed is never lost: he who sows courtesy reaps friendship; and he who plants kindness gathers love.”
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